Gỏi Cuốn (pronounced “goy coo-an”) is a delicious, traditional Vietnamese dish. The name translates to “salad rolls” and they are often referred to in English as “summer rolls”. As with any traditional dish, the filling of the roll varies but this recipe uses prawns. The rolls are wrapped with rice paper (bánh tráng) and are served at room temperature or slightly chilled with a dipping sauce. In this case we’ll be making Nước mắm pha which is a popular fish sauce based dip.

These rolls taste amazing and they are really very versatile. They keep very well so they can be made in advance. They can also be made in different sizes so they can be used as an appetiser or a light main course. They are also quite low in fat.

Put the fish sauce into a bowl and add the sugar and rice vinegar. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the chopped chillies, one third of the spring onions, the garlic and about 4-5 tbsp each of the chopped coriander and mint.

Mix well again and set aside.

Make the filling

Put the chopped noodles in a large bowl. Add the prawns, lettuce and the remaining spring onion and mix well.

Add about 4tbsp each of the chopped basil, mint and coriander. Next, add the lime juice and 2 tbsp of the dipping sauce. Mix well again.

Finish the rolls

To finish the rolls you'll need to rehydrate the rice paper. Again this varies depending on the brand so check the instructions on the packet. Usually it'll involved soaking in either warm or cold water for a minute or two. One prepare one rice paper at a time! Ensure the work surface that you plan to make the roll on is also wet to avoid it sticking.

Place a spoon or two of the filling on the wrap, just off centre. Start rolling then close in the ends and finish rolling. Once the paper dries a little it will hold.

How much rice paper?

This depends on what you're making! If you use small pieces of rice paper you'll need 20 - 30 sheets to use all the mixture. These are ideal as appetisers. If you would prefer something a bit more substantial use larger pieces of rice paper - you'll probably need 10 - 12 sheets.